Chapter 20: Chapter 18: Mo Xiao Is Struck by a Love Poison While Shielding Su Mo

The Witch Doctor’s disciple, Qing Shan, was a young Male Beastman. He was quite handsome and had a scholarly, gentle appearance.

Many Females in the clan wanted to form a marriage contract with him, but he was proud and arrogant, so he had yet to settle down.

’According to the original plot, he’s supposed to become a member of the heroine’s harem later on. He’ll also become the mortal enemy of Mo Xiao, Fei Yan, and the others. Don’t be fooled by his lack of real skills right now; he’s number one when it comes to stirring up trouble and playing dirty. The original heroine will have plenty of capable people under her command later, so dealing with Mo Xiao and the others will be a piece of cake for them.’

The men behind her exchanged a glance, their thoughts unspoken but clear.

The Witch Doctor’s disciple, dressed in a cyan robe, stood in the middle of the stage holding a scepter and a specially made ceramic jar. "And now, everyone, please prepare yourselves! With your most devout hearts, accept the baptism of the Holy Water!"

He closed his eyes and began to mumble and mutter, speaking in a strange tongue that no one could understand.

A moment later, he opened his eyes again. "The gods have bestowed their power upon me! I will now distribute the Holy Water to the blessed!"

A uniform cheer rose from the crowd below. "We beseech the gods’ favor! Grant us the Holy Water!"

It was accompanied by rhythmic clapping and stomping.

In this atmosphere, Su Mo, sitting perfectly still, stood out conspicuously.

’The Witch Doctor’s disciple is like some cult leader. This stuff isn’t even worth as much as dirty bathwater, yet he’s using it to fool these ignorant masses! I seriously can’t bear to watch. Oh well, it’s best to stay out of trouble.’

Then, the disciple raised his scepter and pointed to the southeast corner. "The third person from the second group! Please come forward!"

The chosen person ran onto the stage, overjoyed, and bowed to the Witch Doctor’s disciple in thanks.

Soon, he selected a few more to come forward, and they all did the same.

"There’s only one spot left. Who will be the final recipient of this sacred water?"

As the host spoke with deliberate mystique, the crowd saw the scepter point directly toward Su Mo.

"Second row, the Female in the middle, please come forward!"

Su Mo didn’t think for a second he was pointing at her, until Ah Nuan, her face alight with excitement, shook her. "You’ve been chosen! Hurry up and go!"

"Me?!"

Su Mo pointed to herself in disbelief and asked the man on stage, "Are you sure it’s me?"

The man’s cold gaze swept over Su Mo as he nodded. "It is you."

Su Mo gave a slight nod and walked toward the stage.

’Something’s wrong, something’s very wrong. Why would he pick me for no reason? That old bastard, the Witch Doctor, he must be plotting against me again, isn’t he?! I was just going to watch the show, but since you’re insisting on walking right into the line of fire, you can’t blame me for what happens next!’

Behind the stage, the Witch Doctor stared at Su Mo with a vicious glint in his eyes. This time, he wanted Su Mo dead!

This ignorant Female should have died long ago! Once she was dead, he would once again be the most sacred Witch Doctor in the clan!

The few people on stage stared excitedly at the ceramic jar, but Su Mo’s eyes were fixed on its spout.

’It’s a double-spout. He’s a repeat offender, alright!’

Mo Xiao, Fei Yan, and Yue Ying stood watching, their eyes fixed on Su Mo’s every move.

Suddenly, a furtive figure flashed through Mo Xiao’s line of sight. With the alertness of the Young Master Snake, he moved toward the figure.

Seeing this, Fei Yan quickly followed.

Qing Shan poured five cups of Holy Water for the five people.

Su Mo noticed that the third cup and her own, the fifth, were poured from the other spout.

The first two people drank theirs and said, feeling refreshed, "Delicious! I feel great all over!"

Qing Shan nodded. "This means you have no hidden ailments. The gods will continue to watch over you."

Hearing this, the person left, weeping with gratitude.

Su Mo frowned. ’The poison isn’t in the first or second cups, which means the fourth cup is also clean. It has to be in the third and fifth cups!’

Just as she was about to speak up and stop the third person from drinking the so-called "Holy Water," he had already swiftly picked up the cup and downed it in one go!

"Don’t!"

As she cried out, the man had already collapsed to the ground, clutching his head in pain. He then curled into a ball and started rubbing his abdomen incessantly. "It hurts! It hurts so much!"

Then he started muttering nonsense.

The Witch Doctor’s disciple walked over and touched his head and his pulse point.

He said with an air of profound wisdom, "The gods have revealed that you have a hidden ailment. Do not worry, I will cure you."

Su Mo glanced at the man’s expression on the ground, then picked up her own cup of Holy Water to inspect it. Everything became clear.

Holding the cup, she asked the Witch Doctor’s disciple, "Are you sure the gods revealed he has a hidden ailment, and it’s not you faking it?!"

The man’s expression turned cold. "What do you mean by that? How dare you doubt the gods!"

Su Mo said in a low voice, "Since the gods revealed it, then tell us what illness he has! And how will you treat it!"

"What’s the point of telling you? How much would you understand anyway! He just needs to take this pill from me, and all his illnesses will vanish, and his sanity will return!"

Su Mo snatched the pill from his hand, crushed it into a powder, and sniffed it.

Then she sneered, "You added Poisonous Plant and Mandala to the Holy Water, waited for people to have a reaction, and then used a white balsamine pill as the antidote! What a seamless, brilliant trick!"

The Witch Doctor’s disciple stared at Su Mo in disbelief. "You! You’re spouting nonsense! For destroying a divine medicine, your crime is even greater! I’m going to report you to the Clan Leader and have you banished from the clan!"

Su Mo couldn’t be bothered to waste words on him. Taking advantage of the distraction, she pulled some white balsamine from her storage space.

"Everyone, don’t be fooled by their tricks! This is the Detoxification Grass! Feed it to him and you’ll see the truth!"

The crowd recognized the herb in her hand. It grew in the mountains.

But they were still skeptical. "Is that really the antidote? If so, why weren’t the first two people poisoned, but the third one was?"

Su Mo casually picked up the ceramic jar from the table. "The secret is in the spout. It’s a double-spout! One side pours non-poisonous water, and the other pours poisoned water!"

The crowd looked at the spout, once again astonished!

Qing Shan shouted, "Everyone, don’t be fooled by her! This is Holy Water! It’s not poisonous!"

Su Mo turned, picked up her own cup, and held it out in front of the Witch Doctor’s disciple. "Since you claim this is Holy Water, then drink a cup yourself to prove it’s not poisonous!"

The man was so frightened he stumbled backward repeatedly, finally falling to the ground! The remaining person on stage came to their senses, went over and pried his mouth open, and Su Mo poured the Holy Water straight in.

The disciple frantically fumbled for the pill in his pocket, but Su Mo slapped his hand away and crushed it.

The crowd watched as his face contorted in pain, and he began to ramble deliriously, "It was all the Lord Witch Doctor... He’s the one who made me do it..."

"He said if we poisoned Su Mo, we’d still be the most powerful Witch Doctor and disciple duo in the clan... This really does have Poisonous Plant and Mandala in it... We’ve done this before, and never made a mistake. How could... how could she have seen through it!"

Su Mo let out a cold laugh and stuffed the white balsamine in her hand into his mouth.

The crowd was furious. "You dog! How dare you trick us like this! Beat him to death!"

"Stone him to death!"

"Banish him and the Witch Doctor from the clan!"

"No, throw them in the dungeons, to never see the light of day again!"

While the stage was in chaos, the Witch Doctor hid behind it, staring at Su Mo with a face full of hatred.

He had originally planned to use the gods’ name to poison Su Mo and be done with it, but he never expected her to expose him in public!

He had now completely lost the people’s trust. He could forget about ever being reinstated, let alone continuing to live in the clan.

This Su Mo was simply a walking disaster! Why did she have to ruin his plans!

The Witch Doctor tightened his grip on the dagger in his hand and rushed straight toward Su Mo!

’Even if I die, I’m not letting her live!’

The stage was in utter chaos, and Su Mo was completely unaware of the danger behind her.

By the time Yue Ying realized what was happening, the Witch Doctor was already closing in on Su Mo.

He only had time to shout one thing: "Look out!"

Su Mo instinctively turned, and in the next second, a dark shadow flashed before her.

*PFFT*—

A dagger plunged into Mo Xiao’s back.

Yue Ying and Fei Yan immediately gave chase to the frantically fleeing Witch Doctor.

"Mo Xiao?!" Su Mo helped him sit down and lowered her head to check his injury.

The wound wasn’t deep, but the Witch Doctor had coated the blade with poison and an extremely potent aphrodisiac powder!

If she had been the one stabbed, her life would have been hanging in the balance in an instant.

Mo Xiao’s body was already starting to react. Black scales began to appear uncontrollably on his chest.

His snake tail instinctively coiled around Su Mo, his expression a mixture of agony and torment.

Su Mo immediately called for Little Nine, telling him to exchange for a suppressant!

Little Nine replied helplessly, "It’s no use. With the points you have now, the suppressant you can exchange for won’t be enough to counter this aphrodisiac! Don’t waste time, stop the bleeding and take him back!"

Su Mo asked anxiously, "Will there be an antidote if we go back?!"

"What antidote? Going back will just make it more convenient for you two to, you know, get it on~"

Su Mo: "Are you insane?! You want me to... with this snake...?!!!"

"Oh? So you’re just going to watch him die, Host? He took that knife for you, you know~"

Su Mo: "Don’t try to screw me over! You must have another way! Give me the antidote now, or I’ll die with him and show you!"

Little Nine: "I would have had one, but the last time you drugged him was during his mating season. The medicine suppressed it and delayed it until now. And today, he took this extreme aphrodisiac for you. I’m just a system, not some miracle doctor. You need to decide quickly. Any later, and his Combat Power might be crippled, and his life will be in danger!"

"..."

Little Nine spoke again: "You didn’t strike the blow, but he’s dying because of you. Can you really live with that, Host?"

Su Mo: "You’re a damned con artist!"